My Design Track Keynote from the 2010 Montreal International Game Summit. From the description:
As the social gaming space is increasingly dominated by major players, we as an industry already run the risk of stagnation in our newest field. Intended as a call to arms for indies, this talk seeks to dispel the myths surrounding what "success" means in social game development. Market share is not the only winning path -- no matter what the VC's tell us -- and we’ll break down how indies are in a unique position to innovate, take risks, move fast, and push the medium forward in a way that the lumbering goliaths are unable (or unwilling) to do.
2. Davidvs.
GoliathVilleacall to armsforindiesocialgamedevelopersThe opinions expressed
here are those of the
presenter, and do not
necessarily represent the
views of his employer.
but first, a brief disclaimer:
Scott Jon Siegel
@numberless
http://numberless.net
scottjonsiegel@gmail.com
3. Scott Jon Siegel
Social Game Designer
Zynga; June 2008 - August 2009
‣ Scramble Live, iPhone
‣ Café World, Facebook
Playdom/Disney; September 2009 - Present
‣ City of Wonder, Facebook
25. the outsider
“The whole ‘what's indie’ thing is a
pointless circular discussion I’m
trying to distance myself from.”
Phil Fish
Chief Creative Officer, Polytron
26. the outsider
“A lot of people seem to want to talk
about that, but it never produces
interesting ideas or useful
discussions.”
Jonathan Blow
Designer/Programmer, Braid
42. the outsider
“Indie game developers generally don't make social
games because they tend to actually like games, and
they tend to respect their players and want to give the
players good experiences. ‘Social game’ development is
generally about the opposites of these things. It should
be pretty obvious.”
46. i <3 social games
‣ over 195,000,000 active users on Facebook every
day
‣ 24% of all internet users in US & UK play social
games.
‣ of those users, 49% log in to social networks
specifically to play social games.
Source: Information Solutions Group, February 2010
11%
80%
9%
The complete lack of necessity for a chart on this slide.
The pressure to do it anyway so the slide wouldn’t feel unbalanced.
How sad I make myself sometimes.
48. i <3 social games
0%
6%
12%
18%
24%
30%
<
18
18
-21
22
-29
30
-39
40
-49
50
-59
60+
Percentage of Social Gamers by Age
Percentage
US UK
0%
12%
24%
36%
48%
60%
Male Female
Percentage of Social Gamers by Gender
Percentage
Source: Information Solutions Group, February 2010
49. i <3 social games
Source: Information Solutions Group, February 2010
the average social gamer is a
43 year-old woman.
50. i <3 social games
Source: Information Solutions Group, February 2010
the average social gamer is a
43 year-old woman.
52. i <3 social games
‣ 28% of social gamers have spent real money in social games.
‣ users who spend once are exponentially more likely
spend again.
‣ Virtual goods on track to generate $1.6 billion in US
revenue in 2010.
‣ Estimated to account for 20% of all gaming revenue by
2011.
Sources: Information Solutions Group, February 2010
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13846_3-20004317-62.html
http://www.socialtimes.com/2010/02/56-of-social-game-buyers-buy-again-according-to-social-gold/
53. i <3 social games
social gaming is
BROAD
social gaming
PRINTS
MONEY
54. i <3 social games
social gaming is
BROAD
social gaming
PRINTS
MONEY